Tangkas Village Recycling Now Serves More than 1,000 People

Turning Trash Into Compost

More than 1,000 Tankgas villagers are helping to Keep Bali Beautiful by taking part in the Tangkas Village Recycling Program (TPS). Founded by Ketut Darmawan in 2016, TPS has been gaining support among village families who pay just 15,000 rupiah ($1.07 USD) for trash pick-up every two days. The garbage is sent to the TPS sorting facility where 93% of it is recycled or composted. Most of the organic compost is repackaged as fertilizer. The remaining 7% of the waste is sent to a landfill.

According to Darmawan, “I am very excited that more than 300 families have signed up for the waste pickup and recycling program. Before our program existed, families were forced to either throw the garbage into the river or burn it.”

Darmawan’s program has won praise from the Bupati of Klungkung who has urged other villages to adopt it.